Columbus Day is observed on October 12^th.  It is a day where we celebrate Christopher Columbus' trip from Spain to Hispaniola, North America in 1492. Columbus ' crew sailed on the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria . Columbus was looking for a faster route to the Far East ( Asia ) in order to trade for valuable spices. Instead, he found North America , after sailing for five weeks. The ship Santa Maria sank in Hispaniola, but the Niña and the Pinta both made it back to Spain . Plan some fun learning activities that will engage students of all ages with the help of the web sites below!

Elementary Web Sites:

 http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/schoolroom/columbusday.php

Provides detailed elementary lesson plans regarding the Conquistadors, Columbus ’ Voyages, Columbus ’ letter to the King & Queen of Spain , Activities, Arts & Crafts, etc.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/

A collection of activities for Columbus Day including coloring pages, crafts for kids, word searches, puzzles, and Interactive Learning.

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/columbus_day/

Provides books, worksheets, crosswords, board games, report planners, spelling activities, word searches, poetry, writing prompts, word scrambles and more.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/columbus/

Learn about history and geography while doing fun craft projects. Designed for

Preschool, kindergarten and elementary school children. The crafts use materials found around the house, like egg cartons, cardboard, paper, boxes, string, crayons, paint, glue, etc

http://www.teacherhelp.org/holidays.htm#columbus

Provides resources for Christian Teachers. Includes worksheets, arts and crafts, time lines, etc.

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Columbus_Day/

Lesson Plans, Arts and crafts, language activities, poetry, songs and finger plays, and more.

http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?grade=all&keywords=columbus+day+elementary&rating=3&search_type=narrow

This site has 106 elementary lesson plans and 56 worksheets that are ‘teacher approved’ and can be searched by grade level.

Secondary Web Sites:

http://metalab.unc.edu/expo/1492.exhibit/Intro.html

Encourage students to explore, 1492: An Ongoing Voyage, a Library of Congress on-line exhibit. This site focuses on the peoples who inhabited the Western Hemisphere before 1492 and on the Europeans and Africans who arrived during the 16th century. The section, Christopher Columbus: Man and Myth, provides an interesting portrait of the explorer before he set out on his voyages of discovery. But the real value of this site is the information it conveys about the lands he visited and the people who lived there.

http://www.indians.org/welker/america2.htm

Students might want to follow up their exploration of the Library of Congress exhibit, with a visit to ‘The Americas.’ Here, they'll find information on those lands and people today, as well as insights into the issues that affect them and how history influenced those issues.

http://www.castellobanfi.com/pdf_files/ChristopherColumbusHisGastronomicPersona.pdf

This site describes the voyages of Columbus and his crew with an emphasis on food -- what they ate, how they cooked it, and how they stored it. Do your students know that Columbus used barrels of wine as ballast, or that salting methods were so good that properly stored meat could last as long as 40 years? They'll learn it here!

http://www.columbusnavigation.com/index.shtml

You can't conduct a study of Columbus without connecting it to a study of geography and navigation. One of the best navigational sites -- the one you won't want to miss is ‘The Columbus Navigation Homepage.’ Here, students can learn how Columbus used dead reckoning and celestial navigation. They can see pictures of his ship, learn about his crew, and read about his voyages. The site also includes maps of Columbus 's voyages as well as links to other sites about Columbus and his times.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html

Many Columbus resources provide an incomplete picture of the man. Students can get a clearer picture of the explorer's thoughts and ambitions by reading his own words. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook’ provides students with that opportunity. There students can learn about Columbus by reading ‘Medieval Sourcebook: Christopher Columbus: Extracts from Journal’, or ‘Medieval Sourcebook: Columbus's Letter to the King and Queen of Spain, 1494.’

http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/coldoors/index.cfm

The Columbus Doors, at the east entrance of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, were commissioned in 1855 to celebrate Columbus 's life. Students will be fascinated as they explore the symbolism of the doors and contemplate how the public perception of Columbus has changed in the intervening years. The doors include panels tracing Columbus 's life -- from his unsuccessful attempt to persuade a council appointed by King Ferdinand to support his theory of a new route to India to his death in 1506. The site includes a history of the doors as well as an exploration of their symbolism. This is another site to consider if you have time for only one. It's sure to provoke discussion among your students, as well as, perhaps, an inspiration for artistic expression.